Eilat was the first "green patch" after flying over endless deserts and depleting their fat and muscle tissue.

Hundreds of corncrakes swooped down from the Eilat skies in the past few days, likely due to exhaustion from the ongoing heat wave.

Temperatures characteristic of August hit not only the residents of Eilat this week but also the migratory birds passing through the region to Europe and Asia, according to the Eilat International Bird Park. The corncrakes, distant relatives of a biblical bird, likely chose to land over Eilat due to the increased fatigue they experiencing flying through the heat wave, representatives of the park explained.

Typically, birds landing in the Eilat area due to exhaustion include tiny songbirds alone.

Yet this time, the bird park reported, dozens of corncrakes have stopped over on the streets of Eilat and in the park itself.

Eilat was the first green patch that the birds encountered after flying over endless deserts and depleting their fat and muscle tissues, the park representatives said.

Among other birds to land in the Eilat area in recent days have been orioles and warblers, they added, stressing that the birds are in the process of resting and recovering.